Longwinded tales from the frontlines and discussion of the strategies and mechanics of line fighting in Belegarth.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Small Unit Tactics

Not all groups enjoy
the thick fighting at the center of a solid line.Others lack the experience, numbers, or
equipment to do so successfully. These groups often suffer at larger events,
where the lines are densely packed.Skirmish tactics work a little differently when facing such lines, as
opposed to the more open fields of their home practices. A skirmishing group
needs to capitalize on their best asset: maneuverability.

A skirmish line will
quickly be picked apart should they face a group of experienced line fighters
directly, especially if numbers aren't in their favor. However, this doesn't
mean skirmish lines are incapable of winning the fight.It takes a different approach for them to
succeed.Rather than attempting to rush
into a line fight, the skirmishers need to fight the front of the line on the
defensive. Their main goal has to be survival, only taking advantage of a few kills as opportunity presents them. By keeping mobile, they might be able to get the enemy to spread out or lose track of a few of the skirmishers. By drawing the enemy directly ahead, a few people on the wings might be able to flank around the enemy.

While most people
"flank" by merely running past the ends of the lines until they are
far enough to get around unopposed, a little more teamwork and tactics can make
flanking a much stronger, faster tactic.It is best to work in groups. Pairs work fine, but larger groups have
more options.Each group must set for
itself a goal of delivering one fighter (or small group of fighters) the
enemy's back.This mindset allows
flankers to function much closer to the core of the fight and still get someone
behind the lines unopposed.As an added
bonus, some of these tactics also apply to heavy line fighting for shock
troops, which could help a group transition to that style of fighting later.

Let's look at a few
specific strategies.

Pin and split

Pin and split is my
generic term for a great move that you can accomplish when, as a flanker, you
outnumber the enemy that is in your way.At its most basic, a 2v1 situation, one person engages the enemy,
allowing the other to slip by unopposed.Regardless of how well the pin survives, they buy their teammate plenty
of time to cause havoc.This strategy
also works well for exploiting the edges of a gap in the enemy line.

A larger group of
fighters can enact this strategy well, even doing so multiple times as new
threats approach.Each time an enemy
turns to counter them, the minimum number of flankers peel off to pin them as
the rest continue flanking.Remember,
the goal is always to get at least one fighter to the rear of the enemy's main
line.

Another extremely effective way to use this strategy is to counter flankers.If your own team's flankers have become
bogged down on the flank, fighting a line battle, the two fighters nearest them
could try to pin/split against the enemy anchor.The second closest to the end engages the
enemy anchor heavily, probably fighting a 2v1 on the enemy flank.The friendly anchor is then free to backstab
the enemy flankers, freeing up a large force.This is an exploit of the gap between the enemy line and their flankers,
but could be used against almost any gap.

Wolfpacking

When outnumbered,
but not outmaneuvered, a team can attempt to split up.By being more mobile than the larger force,
their goal is to survive and pick apart any stragglers they can until the
smaller force has a decisive advantage.The skirmishing team still needs a few people to take the enemy head
on.When the enemy advances, the line
spreads thin, leaving just a few fighters to keep the attention of the enemy
core.The rest flank around, using
strategies like the pin and split.

However, because the skirmishers are outnumbered, getting into the enemy
backfield alive is going to be difficult, if not impossible, until several
enemies are dispatched.If the
skirmishers can manage toget their
flankers to meet up behind the enemy (turning the line into a circle), they are
now free to run in opposite directions.At this point, the skirmishers must work off of each other.By running in opposite directions, vision
gaps will eventually be created that allow one of them to pick off an
unsuspecting enemy.

A large part of the strategy requires that each skirmisher acts as a
distraction first, staying alive as best they can.Then, only take shots that are nearly
guaranteed hits.Kills are preferable,
but legs will help reduce the enemy's ability to maneuver against you and arms
will help soften them up for future attacks.

Pairs

Small groups should learn to work in pairs when possible. The goal is to
develop tactics that work well when targets are isolated, while maintaining
some safety in numbers. While you won't always be able to make a 2v1 situation
happen, you want to be able to win the fight without losing much of your
capability.

You may find 2v1
drills particularly useful.It helps
build teamwork for the pair and helps the solo fighter practice for being
outnumbered.The pair has a goal of
killing the solo without either of them being hit, while the solo tries to land
a single hit on the pair.Alternatively,
you could have the solo fighter try to stay alive for a set amount of time or
number of swings. This can help them prepare to be a pin or to keep the core of
the line busy for a wolf pack strategy.

One strategy for a
pair is to plan, in advance, where to swing.For example, one will swing high to the sword arm, while the other
swings low to the shield side hip.This
forces the enemy on the defensive, because their shield will usually not be
able to cover both angles, forcing them to block with their sword or die
quickly.Following up with a couple of
swings will likely kill the target, as long as both keep the pressure on them.

When the pair is on
the defensive, it becomes important to not only block for your partner, but
lure enemy targets out for them.You can
fake swings to try to get the opponent to counter, leaving their arm open to your
partner.Placing swings to one side of
their shield or guard might draw their defenses over, letting your partner
attack the other side.

Against a solo
opponent, the pair needs to move such that both can swing at the target or so
that neither can be hit easily. The most favorable positions for the pair are
either with the solo fighter facing the gap between the them, or with the pair
slightly offset towards the solo's sword side.This allows both to swing, and the latter gives a great angle against
their weapon arm.

"Good" in this case, relative to the pair.

On the flip side,
the solo fighters will need to use solid footwork and sword blocks/parries to
stay alive. Most of their footwork will have them backing up, often to an
angle.Against a pair, their goal is to
isolate one of them by stepping away from the other.His preferred positions are either lined up
against his sword side opponent (so his shield blocks off the other well), or
with one enemy blocking off the other's angle of attack.The second one is harder to pull off, but is
the safest.

Communication

I can never seem to
stress this enough, but communication is vital to success as a small
force.Even without a command structure
or leader, the group needs to all be aware of the overall plan.Without communication, strategies like
wolfpacking can quickly fall apart into chaos.

Experienced vets may
be less verbal, relying on their combined experience and reacting to the
situation as best they can.However,
even vets will make sure to communicate openings they see or dangers around
them. Starting out, simple communications like when to move or change spacing
are necessary (vets usually adapt to the space well, without needing specific
commands for it). One thing all groups need is a direction or target, and
communicating that goal, or changes to it, should be a priority.

Call out dangers to
your line.Call out targets, gaps, and
weak points in the enemy line.Equally
important, relay calls from others.For
example, if you line needs to shift right, and you hear someone call it out,
then you should repeat it down the line. Warn your allies of arrows about to be
loosed, javelins at the ready, or support weapons taking notice of their flank.
It is a lot to keep your mind on, but the more of these things you can keep
your team informed about, the more successful they will be.

Leadership ("Driving the bus")

Smaller groups
sometimes lack any sort of command structure.Even large realms have many people that could take charge, but no clear,
default leader. That doesn't mean they lack leadership. In these groups,
individuals usually take charge of the area around them as needed. Groups of
veterans often have a very decentralized form of command, especially during a
protracted line battle where individuals manage their own area. Those with the
best line of sight, or that notice problems sooner, often begin taking charge
of the few people around them.

If someone else is
issuing orders, do your best to support them.Note, I didn't say "blindly follow a terrible plan".Support the plan by maneuvering yourself and
others in a way to help the plan succeed.This might mean moving to cover a gap that no one else saw or being
aggressive to draw the enemy's attention. Sometimes it means doing something
that is opposed to the orders, such as taking a run through a gap rather than
standing your ground.The overall idea
is to make the group more successful at its current mission.

If no one is taking
charge or communicating, take command and do your best to help the team.Even a bad plan is usually going to be better
than no plan. When it comes to actually taking charge of the group, do your best
to navigate the group into favorable fights.Try to issue orders that make sense for who you are ordering around, ie.
don't have the 300 lb guy in full armor and a tower shield flank.Play to your group's strengths.More armored up fighters will need to form up
against the bulk of the enemy, while faster fighters need to maneuver around.
Try to engage targets such that your backfield is relatively safe (not facing
the majority of the enemy groups).

Most of the fight
relies on your individuals finding success, but issuing commands to regroup or
shift the line can give those individuals a better chance to survive.Your goal, as leader, is to maintain the line
during a fight.Watch for gaps and weak
points in both lines and move your forces to exploit or counter them.Learn to spot vision gaps, especially along
the enemy flank.If their anchors aren't
paying attention or are drawn into a fight, deploy a few flankers around
them.If your flankers need a better
angle, shift the line to present the enemy's back to them.

"Driving"
isn't easy, even in a small, skilled group. Don't be discouraged by a bad fight
or if you think you may have made a bad call.Learn from the strategic failures and try to fix any issues with communication
within the group. You'll get a chance to redeem yourself next fight.

One side note, when
a small group is part of a large team, they should do their best to integrate
with the group.Issue commands not only
to your group, but those around you that lack leadership.This is a great opportunity for smaller
groups to get a better feel for line fighting, and working with support
weapons.Also, don't hesitate following
orders from outsiders in this scenario, especially ones that seem to know what
they are doing.

This section probably could be its own post.I might try to put together a more detailed
version, perhaps as a post-mortem next time I drive the BOF bus.

4 comments:

Sir Torrence, I love your posts, they are most informative and will be very useful for my group.

Do you have any good advice for a small (~10) group of mainly sword-and-boarders going up against a line with plenty of spears? We'll probably be doing that in Finland come summer, and I would like to practice some useful skills, manoeuvres, and tactics.

Against a spear-heavy line is rough, depending on the relative skill level. The sort of wolfpacking strategy still works. Most polearm groups stick to teams of one pole with 1-2 shieldmen. You have to try to pull apart those groups so the spears can't cooperate with each other. While one person keeps the spear and its guards preoccupied, a flanker needs to come in from the side to hit them. I could do a more detailed post of needed.

You can see here what we can expect to be up against: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2KYvqQgavw (we're the purple-and-black people who get killed:)

I have a vague idea of coordinating pushing spears to either side to make an opening to rush in through, but I would not be surprised if the next spears over get to be a problem. Probably our best overall bet is hanging back a bit, moving a lot, and punching through when there is an opening. We for sure need to get more spears for our practices.

Ok, wow, I was picturing skirmishes rather than this scale. That is a crazy amount of spears. This video does show a couple of opportunities that are worth considering. At the beginning of the fight, you foes have a large gap to your right flank, but a strong concentration of spears to your middle. Have your middle form a kill pocket, curving away from the spears to lessen their impact and spread their shields out. I would have taken half of your right flank and dove in on that gap hard. That spear formation is terrible at point blank defense.

You did good at holding a line, but really have to give ground against that much offense. Your polearms will do best deployed to the flanks of the concentration of enemy spears, stabbing in on them as they advance into a kill pocket.

Use a long red or glaive on defense to knock their spears into a cluster. Historically, think landsheks (sp?) having a swordsman to break spears. Of they are all clumped up to a side, it might make their formation more difficult to maintain. At the very least, it will slow down their stabbing a bit.

I'll watch this again when I get a chance and see if I have any other suggestions.